Guest viewing is limited

TKR Would welcome support...

Status
Not open for further replies.
How long before we are supposed to sleep on our sides? I asked my PT if I could occassionaly nap that way (as it is my natural sleep postion) and she said ok, but my kne does feel uncomfortable.
The exercise (lying on stomach and bringing the foot up to towards the butt) is one of the hardest for me as I get terrific pain in the outside of the knee. It has made a couple of other exercises hard. But the PT worked on it manually last visit (thank the Lord for narcotics, which otherwise I am off of) and while it hurt it was better afterwards.
Betsy
 
Betsy-

I've been sleeping on my side since week 3. It takes ingenuity, pillows between the thighs, the length of the legs, between the knees with another pillow wedged along the back or front of your body so you can inch your way from position to position. Sometimes I throw gel packs on each side of the pillow so my knees are frozen while I sleep...the key....as you already probably know is.....PILLOWS!
 
I'm a side sleeper too! I did well sleeping on my back in hospital & rehab because of thei cool beds. Not so good when I got home, especially since I hated for the knees to touch each other. Home PT showed me how to get comfy … with pillows! A body pillow is the best!
 
Hi guys, I've been using a body pillow since my first replacement 6 years ago, I can't sleep without it now! Worth its weight in gold!
 
Hi all,

My quads have finally come to life, feels like its taken forever but finally after 5 weeks I can lift my leg about a foot off the floor. I am absolutely thrilled as I now feel like im in control and that im not attempting to lift my leg in vain. I can imagine it took so long because my muscles were quite weak before the operation due to not being able to walk far because of my Arthritis. I had bought a walker with a seat attched so that I could still walk quite a distance but so i am able to rest my other leg which also needs replacing. I havent been able to use it yet though because of the swelling in the foot of my operated leg, although the swelling is improving so I am hopeful that I can get out walking in the sunshine soon :prayer1:

I think that living in a bungalow also means that my leg isnt getting the stair action that it could do with. Stairs are a great form of exercise and I feel like Im lacking in this. I have been practising on the front doorstep although I think the neighbours think that Im going slightly mad :loll:

I have'nt tried lying on my stomach yet, mainly because Im a bit scared to try, but I have been lying on my side since 7 days after my op. Before that I also found it very easy to sleep on my back in hospital because of the great adjustable beds! To turn onto my side I used my dressing gown cord that i put around my foot to lift my leg when I turned so that it was fully supported and made sure that when i lowered it on top of the other leg that there was a pillow between them. That way the whole of my legs and feet were parallel and very well cushioned, I had a very good nights sleep that night :yes 4:
I can't sleep on my stomach because of arthritis in my neck so will try it soon just for exercise purposes.I did have some clicking and clunking for the first few weeks when moving onto my side but I did it very slowly and carefully. The clicking and clunking has started to decrease now which has made turning much more comfortable.

Dawnmit, thank you for the review of the body pillow. I am looking at getting a body pillow as the pillow I have only fits between my legs and just reaches my feet so it has a tendency to move in the night. So I think a body pillow would be much better. I was just wondering, if you dont mind me asking... You had your Knee replaced in 2005 and then had a revision 6 years later, was there a specific reason for this, or was it just wear and tear?

Hope everyone is doing well xx :flowerysmile:
 
Hi perhaps we could swap? I live in a townhouse and had a right mare with the stairs the first few weeks after my arthroscopy last year and am dreading the after hospital knee replacement getting up to the bedroom which I guess will be done in stages"" :scratch:

About your wheelchair, I have borrowed one from the red cross as well as a leg extension thing for it. We tried it out on Sunday and it is really comfortable as your leg is out straight and you can move it around if needed. May be worth it? You can find your local branch on the Internet. Click on the medical loans tab. You may need a referral from your GP. There's no cost but they accept donations. Good luck. Am still counting down the weeks. Great inspiration
Piglet
 
Go quads!
 
Oh Thank you!! I am starting to sleep on my side which means I am finally sleeping better and longer. I am using the gel ice packs also, laid over the knee, and then a folded towel since our pillows are all too thick but I think I want to try for a body pillow (hope hubby won't feel rejected ;-)
Getting the quads back is hard and mine are finally better---hardest thing for me is they are tight with the ITB syndrome.
I do have to lie on my stomach as part of PT, to help stretch hip flexors after 44 year of leaning because of bad knee.
 
Gismohp- Patience IS the key here. You are in the worst of it and so you MUST follow the ice, elevate advice here and you will get through it. I could not lift my bad leg before surgery and yet, 3 weeks after, I could! So do not overdo it, it will take time. I did my exercises 3 or 4 times a day, a few at a time. Then at home PT one day, the therapist told me that she was not holding my leg up and I looked and I was!!! Do not rush it, relax and heal.
 
gizmohp said:
Dawnmit, thank you for the review of the body pillow. I am looking at getting a body pillow as the pillow I have only fits between my legs and just reaches my feet so it has a tendency to move in the night. So I think a body pillow would be much better. I was just wondering, if you dont mind me asking... You had your Knee replaced in 2005 and then had a revision 6 years later, was there a specific reason for this, or was it just wear and tear?

Hope everyone is doing well xx :flowerysmile:
Click to expand...

Hi, unfortunately my knee became loose for a couple of different reasons, I was told the angle of the bone was not cut perfectly straight, and being a younger more active patient I apparently wore it out quicker! Now my ligaments are ruined so I am waiting for my next op to put in a hinged prosthesis. Good luck with the body pillow, you'll love it xxx
 
Hi All,

Thought I would write a little update of how im doing. I am now at 8 weeks and seem to have improved the most in the last two weeks. I am no longer having trouble lifting my leg at all and although it is still tight across the top of my knee, it is relatively easy to move.
My bend is slowly coming back which is good, I have been having physio in the hospital hydrotherapy pool once a week and although i think this does help, i believe that the swelling going down has contributed the most to the extra bend. I can now get my leg bent enough to get into the car which 7 weeks ago I thought would be impossible. I was having to get into a saloon car with the door wide open and the seat right back. So Im very happy to be driving again :yahoo:

I have seen my surgeon who has said everything seems good and I dont have to see him again for a year, so now worries there. I was also advised to use E45 cream on my scar if it was getting dry, as everything looks fine.

My walking has come on tremendously, well for me, coz I was using a wheelchair around the house for years before I had this surgery and I am not walking around the house which is great. Still having to use a wheelchair when i go out due to my arthritis in my other knee.

But all is going great and I am majorly pleased that I have got to a stage where I feel confident that I did the right thing in going through with this surgery :yes 4:
 
YEAAAAAAA!! Helen, it must be so liberating to be more mobile. I think there is something magical that occurs between week 6-8 because I too woke up one day and found my knees were much more flexible. Today, I've noticed that the numbness is now disappearing too. I hope we both see continued improvement in our knees in the upcoming weeks :thumb:
 
Yay, Helen! it is a GREAT feeling, isn't it? If you had asked me in the first 3 weeks if the surg. was worth it I would have said no, I was that miserable. I too, turned a corner at 3 weeks and I think again last week when I realized I no longer needed the cane! Using much less pain meds now, but still need them and icing and elevating! Now I have these little moments where I surprise myself, like going into PT the other day. It started raining very hard and I had started going up the stairs at PT instead of the ramp. Without realizing it, I went up the steps foot over foot and it didn't hurt!
So nice to have this " I AM glad I had this surgery!" feeling!
Enjoy your new mobile life!
 
Thanks everyone :-)

It does feel good being much more mobile which I am so pleased for.
Although two days ago I started to get pains in my right foot, which isnt the operated leg. Im not sure whether these are from walking more or driving, but it has made my foot swell a little and is so painful to walk on, the only thing that is taking the edge off the pain are the painkillers that im taking for my knee already. It doesnt improve it when i lie in bed for the whole night either, has anybody else had this?

It is strange because I have been putting alot of my weight on my right foot since my operation and it has been coping fine. But now that I have shifted my weight evenly due to the fact that my operated leg feels much better, my right foot has now decided to start hurting, its very bizarre!

xx
 
Hi! Helen, if your foot pain persist, please see your OS about it. I am no expert by a long shot, but I know from reading in the forum that some foot problems can result from the change in your gait due to the surgery; and these problems need to be addressed so that they don't get out of hand.

Not trying to alarm you in any way, and it may be nothing; but I always feel its better to be safe than sorry.

Take care of yourself and keep us posted. We care.
 
gizmohp said:
Thanks everyone :-)

It does feel good being much more mobile which I am so pleased for.
Although two days ago I started to get pains in my right foot, which isnt the operated leg. Im not sure whether these are from walking more or driving, but it has made my foot swell a little and is so painful to walk on, the only thing that is taking the edge off the pain are the painkillers that im taking for my knee already. It doesnt improve it when i lie in bed for the whole night either, has anybody else had this?

It is strange because I have been putting alot of my weight on my right foot since my operation and it has been coping fine. But now that I have shifted my weight evenly due to the fact that my operated leg feels much better, my right foot has now decided to start hurting, its very bizarre!

xx
Click to expand...
What kind of pain and where? I developed plantar fasciitis in the opposite foot a few months after my tkr. that pain is mostly in the heel and made it very difficult to walk. I got it treated quickly and it resolved.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 2,261 (members: 0, guests: 2,261)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom